’ volunteers with an unorthodox: program: to help native sex ‘offenders and their victims.”

ters to their‘abusers. And all of them will bum those ”

EAGLE FEATHER symbolizes the presence of the creator for Gitksan native Joanne Peter as .
she prepares a sweat lodge ceremony for several sex abuse survivors: She's one at 19

Native: sexual abuse »

Heaiing, not hurting

By JEFF NAGEL.. — .. “North. American sactely is s fired a great deal on ;
‘ IXTEEN STONES bake i in the fire. It’s ne hate, ”* he says. ‘‘We’re trying to avoid that”?
“We don’t have .this male-hating, ‘feminist atti-

-! always 16, says Joanne Péter. That's :
part of ihe tradition. : ‘When’ ‘the “hot |:tude,"” adds program: volunteer Ingrid Buhler.
‘That's not going to-help’ anyone,’"

_ rocks are placed in the pit, halfa dozen.

wotten ‘will sit together i in the sweat lodge. * ae
All: of them: have: been: physically. or sexually.

abused, All of them, have just finished writing Jet

“ily, and so does the’ program. Every affected mem=].

fender, -: - -
letters { in the fire. we ‘Only non-violent sexiial abiuse’c cases are accepted,
_ This is one-of the traditional ‘healing methods that ;
volunteer workers at Terrace Mental Health believe
makes their. program ; ai belter way of breaking. the ;
cycle of sexual abuse : among natives.” =! * .

Peter, a- volunteer in’ the Native ‘Sexual. Abuse Y
Program, ‘Says the sweal lodge is a place | for prayer,
bonding ‘and purification, ©

“It feels really safe for a lot of tlie. women, ?” says
Peter, who isa Gitksan native and -the sweat lodge
keeper for the group. “When it? a over we don’ t.
want ‘to come out. 5
ofthere.? 9
“The - program”.
takes a “different
tack from ‘TmHost
agencles “that, -
handle the aflermath of sexual abuse. - ms :

Victims are: supposed: to hate their: abusers ‘and ..!
take them to court. Abusers are. supposed to deny
everything ‘and get a good lawyer. That's haw. our.
adversarial legal system works.

“But that conflict, ‘says psychologist Lee Oates,
simply tears families apart el)
. AP slike dropping: a bomb on the: family,?’ says
Oates; the. architect of: the . program. AfThat isnot:
going 1 heal anybody. All i it does i is blow the fam- of
ily tochell.’?" ©

“The victims | are. oflen: more ‘victimized: by the
justice. system than they were by the offender," h
says, adding many:victims regret ever. disclosing’
the abuse after going. through’ the system...

Instead, the program. ‘aimé to: Keep: | the Victim out '
of court and p:the: cthe Healin,

to any charges laid? >.
“The abuser must want to change, Oates says: Un: ,
til be accepts ‘responsibility, no healing can take
“place, °-
‘“Everyone.i in 1 the prograin is working towards the
family being reunifiéd,” ” says Oates, who is half
. Thompson Indian. 3"
_vivtins, offenders: and ‘spouses get together in

5 Separate. “healing
circles’? and talk
“out their feelings.
“Ultimately -— at
the end of the 18-
-Tmonth: program
a there is one: large ‘circle: that brings the victim,
offender: and the rest of the family. back together."
- None of Oates’ 19 disciples — the volunteer na-,

“The victims a are re often more victimized ‘hy ‘thej juis- :
‘tice system. than they: were. by the offender. ‘Wheat
we're erying to doi is s keep the victim out: tof court. ”

“paid and thost don't have degrees. But they all have
“had personal’ ‘experience: with sexual abuse. :
ou “Byerybady here has been through this,” he : says.
“IP s"not as. “if-we're talking about. college: grads.
‘who have never ‘had anything bad happen to them,’?
Oates knows about bad things happening, - dey
. At the.age of 12; he shot and killed his. violent, al
f -oholic stepfather ‘after’ ‘years o£ being abused.
"Now he. fervently believes people can change and.
“break out of the'cycle of abuse; The prograni has no:
budget but he organizes his-volunteers with near te-
* ligious Zea
“The first thing they- tela focial worker. is:don

1

* still’ < number-crunching,
they’ve cut costs:.and. believe:
they’re close to a solution that-

: Native traditions place: great emphasis on the fam: 7

In order to get in ‘the door, the. abuser has to accept] -
responsibility. for ‘what ‘he has done and plead guilty 4

'- Skeena
. ,Skeena Sawmills. «
In both cases. what happens will.
_. depend. on developments in. the
‘pulp industry strike. — 2
SCI's Rand Menhinick said the:
mil] -= it has 155 hourly-paid. em-:
ployees -- would be fully. opera- |
tional this week but “from there.

“tive ‘mental health workers in ‘the program =—"are |:

TERRACE -- Library board
members were jubilant Saturday
night as returning officer Elaine
Johnson confirmed: the expan-
sion referendum result was are-
sounding ‘yes’.

Not that voters focked to the
polls.

Johnson said only 924 ballots
were cast within the city, about a
12 per cent turnout, That figure
also included a number of new
registrations, she added,’ >

Interest. in the effected areas
of the Kitimat-Stikine regional
district. -- primarily Thornhill.
and Lakelse -- was even lower. *

There, Johnson said, ony: 270.

voters cast ballots,-less than one _

per cent of those eligible.

Even so, the library proposal ;

achieved convincing majorities :
in both polls, ;
City voters approved the nec-

essary borrowing 711-206 while. :
the district count was 195-70 in

favour, :
Describing the veiuits ‘as
delightful",

not surprised by the low tumout:

“We didn’t expect: a very -
high tumout. It wasn't agif it
Was 8 controversial: ‘item to most

people,” he said.

“T think everybody assumed it

was going to’ pass and ‘let:

everybody else do. the wating," a
; an come | ‘of those discussions: ‘the

he added

TERRACE — A fall referendum:
whether:
Queensway-area residents will,

could ‘decide

homeowners might buy.’

“Tt looks good,”’ regional - dis -
trict administrator Bob Marcellin.
_ said Friday. “It looks really good

— the costs have come. °. down 4
lot.”

Watmough,

“The new sewer. system, — if.
homeowners vote for it — could:
finally put-an end to the sewage.
- problems of area residents, partic: .
ularly those living on Bobsein
“Crescent,
Residents there have been bat.
_ fling for a solution since carly this”
‘year. when health ministry | offi-:

cials. eeacked down on “ne

TERRACE “

we'll take it week by week.’?:

However, . the company.;. has
suspended its logging operations, :
‘idting ‘‘a few hundred” people at:
what is normally the busiest time:

of the year in the bush.

Although he couldn’t. predict.
how. long that would last, . ‘Men: :
hinick sald ‘If there’s any. en-.
couraging - -signs from the: pulp,

side, we will get our bush: people -

- back: to -work :as: ‘quickly BS POs: -;
> ‘stockpiling its lumber because the

sible.”
The company’s.’ ‘suromer road:
“building «°° program . and”

“Hivieuttural-tee ‘planting work:

would continue, he added, -

|. The pulp sttike: ‘and. ‘consequent
: shutdown. of, the. company’s 8 Por
adilld

library: board .°
spokesman George ‘Clark’ was

A number of options are still 7
being, explored, but it’s hoped the :
annual cost per homeowner could’.
fall to around the $550 range,
said regional district director. Les 7

: ‘Mill workers”

ber. of the family. Participates - — not just the of-]

Decisions. on.
whether local sawmills can con:
tinue to operate will be made this”
‘week, say managers at ‘both.
Cellulose _ GC) and.

’ Clark said the next step was to
have the architect, Alan Soutar,
go ahead with detailed drawings
for the project...

“Inthe “meantime, he said the
library. board would contiiue to

‘lobby Victoria for the extra -

money needed to fully. complete 7
ihe expansion. ~

Although the referendum
gives. the. city the go-ahead ° to”
borrow. $1,235. million = the
district will repay approximately
30 percent of that -- the total
cost of the project is estimated at
$1. 15 miltion, ;

Earlier. assumptions the. dif- ;

ference would be covered. by.a

provincial. .grant were overtumed -
this spring. when: the: New ‘Dem-.
-ocrat ‘government announced ‘it .

-was. scrapping. the existing. Tot

tery grant system.

- Clark ‘said: it: appeared’ the

board would ‘have to wait until

the fall.to-find out what money, -
__ If any, the province i is prepared:
“tocome ip-with,- .

~ However, whatever the out-

with faited septic systems... coe

Health hazard waming - sis 7

were posted i in the area, and the:

_ In March the provincial govern:

ment issutd’a’ final ‘offer of a 75 ~

per cent subsidy."
-Watmough: says “they'l con.
tinue to search for the. option that, .

; when taken: to the voters, ‘has the’
‘best chance of succeeding.

“Its a numbers. gamie,”’ Wal-
mough: said; “IE the number’s
right they’ré going to go for it. If
it’s not, they won?t’?

One. of the big: remaining ques-
tions, he added, is determining
whether the Kitselas band -

properties will be fonnected to

the system. > °

“Tf the. band, does: join, it ‘could, ;
also. help reduce the cost to resi-
dents, he explained. ‘ a

“‘Watmough said the option’ cure
rently being explored is a pump -
system. It’s not as ‘expensive asa.
gravity feed system, - * which.’
wouldn’ t work well: in low-lying

Menbinick ‘sald. that’ ‘was be
cause ‘the mill had ‘to ‘switch to”

running, sprice logs. earlier, than.

~ anticipated, ae

“We were ‘just’ in the process of |
"trying. to ‘sell’ it (spruce. lumber) ©
-and weren’t planning to cut it un- y
: tilthe end of June.” ye .

Therefore, he. explained; the

-mill had to.go down’ while ‘the -”:
company: worked oul a cut plan :

and what market they, were Boing

to target. oo
Skeena Sawmills manager Don

Chesley confirmed that operation,

including logging, would’ con -*

tinue 16 ran this week but what

happened. beyond ‘that. would: be. ~ |
* decided early this week. 8
> He said the. mill: ‘would stock <.
pile its chips and landfill both the.

hog fuel and sawdust produced ' in
Ahe milling process. : vat

“Skeena Sawmills. will ilso be

“Burocan. dock in’ Kitimat;through
‘which it ships is also strikebound.
‘Dock. employees are ‘meénibers of °
“the.” Canadian’ °

‘main line, vs!

. the referend

“Paperworkers

. Even if the extra ‘money ¥ was .
not. forthcoming, Clark said, ‘the.
full area of the proposed . ‘base.
ment addition would still be ex-.

cavated. It could then’ be: sealed
off and ‘completed | ata later daic’..
awhen money was available, :
L “Exactly ° ‘what..we-.can" and.
-gannot do is: going: to be. eter. ae
mined when, the bids’ oo in,’

he. added 7 va

‘Clark said the projest ‘should:
gO | Out | to. tender’. this; coming
winter with construction to'start ©
as soon: aS: weather’ permits dn.
‘93.

: Because the libary will remain ,

open while the work went on, ng

; anicipated interlor. :

~ Clark: x poinied “out the projec oe
‘so. included” approximately. ©
pereene af renovations: to, the 7 “

és : i

Les Watmough
“parts of the subdivision. :
Effluent would be pumped out
of individual septic tanks out toa’:

“AD committee of residents mi
“regional, district officials hope: t
“meet next Week-to. Seta date: fo

‘It looks very promising for th
‘fall,’ ” Watmough added. :